Nemo
by firetide
Summary: Touch me with your love, and reveal to me my true name. Once and for all, and all for once, Nemo my name forever more
1. The Lost Ones

Curled up on the window seat in her favourite corner of the library, Hermione silently stared out over the expanse of the Hogwarts grounds. She found it soothing, to be able to have some time to herself. All of the other girls in her dormitory had gone home for Christmas. She no longer had a home to go to, as Death Eaters had killed her family during the summer holidays following the battle at the Ministry of Magic. Although Ron had invited her back to the Burrow for the week, and as much as she loved the Weasley family, currently what she needed was just to spend some time by herself. It was her first Christmas without her family, and she didn't want to have to smile, and pretend to be enjoying herself in the company of her friends.

Pretend as she had been for the past six months.

Inside, Hermione felt dead. Her family meant everything to her. Aside from Harry and Ron, they were the only people in the world who loved her. And they were most certainly the only people in the world, Ron and Harry included this time, who understood her. She could talk to her Mum about all the girly stuff she could never talk about with Harry or Ron, who would just scoff and tell her she was being stupid. Harry and Ron, who, although they did love her, would never see her as anything more than 'one of the guys'. With her Mum she could do facials, go and get her hair done, or sit and watch the muggle movie "Love Actually", and perve on Roderigo Santoras for hours, or laugh at Hugh Grants dancing skills, whilst at the same time admiring his bum during his victory dance. Or snicker at Colin Firth's attempts at speaking any language other than English. With her Dad, she could discuss poetry and books. He nurtured her intellectual side, possibly the only person on the planet who could keep up with her mentally. And he loved to hear about the things she learnt in school, about the theory of Arithmancy, or the translations and meanings of Ancient Runes. In this way, she managed to combine both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Whenever she was with her parents, she truly felt like she was home, no matter where they were.

And now she was alone. Letting a single tear slide down her cheek, which was rapidly followed by several more, she continued to stare out across the grounds, enveloped in her misery.

_This is me for forever  
One of the lost ones  
The one without a name_

* * *

Walking down the corridors that led from the Slytherin common room to the library, Draco Malfoy sighed. He was spending Christmas at Hogwarts because his father was still locked in Azkaban, and his mother was too busy trying to secure his release to give Draco the Christmas he deserved, or so she claimed. Secretly Draco thought that it was because she was unable to cope with the disgrace to the family name, and as such was trying to avoid him. It was, of course, his fault that his father had gotten caught, as he had allowed the Mudblood Granger and her little friends to escape from him.

Fucking Granger. Merlin, he thought as he continued his journey. Could a witch be more annoying? With her bushy hair, and know it all attitude. She pissed him off more than any other witch or wizard in Hogwarts. Something niggled in the back of his mind when he thought about her, but he refused to give it any thought, dismissing her as his inferior. Even though, at some level, her knew that she wasn't.

Pushing the Mudblood from his mind, his thoughts returned to his father. He felt absolutely lost without his father by his side. His whole life, his father had been by his side, guiding him, telling him what to do. It was at his insistence that Draco had joined the Death Eaters during the summer vacation, taking his father's vacant place by the Dark Lord's side. Of course, he didn't wear the Dark Mark yet, as it would not do to have that decrepit old fool Dumbledore knowing that there was one capable of killing within the school, but still, he was pleased that he could make his father proud in this way. Losing his father, even if it was only temporarily, was a blow that Draco had not expected. And it hurt like all fuck. Without his father, he was nothing. He was lost, floating in a sea of despair and hopelessness.

Not that he'd ever admit it of course.

_This is me for forever  
One of the lost ones  
The one without a name_

Rounding a corner into the library, he was startled to hear a discreet sound that sounded like someone… crying. Curious as to who it was, knowing that most students had gone home for the holidays, he went in search of the noise, hoping he would have an opportunity to berate one of the younger students. Circe knows he needed someone to take his frustrations out on.

Tracking the crying to a window seat in the furthest corner of the library, he was surprised when he recognised the witch he'd least likely imagined it to be.

"Granger."


	2. The One Without A Name

Hearing her name drawled by the person she least wanted to see when she was crying, Hermione snapped her head around, quickly drying her tears on her sleeve.

"Ferret. What do you want?"

She watched as he fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable at having found her crying. He'd never seen her cry before, not in all the years he'd insulted her. She also suspected that he didn't know her parents had been murdered, as it was being kept very quiet, with only herself, Harry, and the Weasley family knowing within the school, aside from the professors of course.

"What in Merlin's name are you crying over, Mudblood? Get a piece of homework back that only got a nine out of ten?" he drawled in her direction.

Straightening up, she glared in his direction. As if she'd cry over something like that! Besides, none of her work had ever gotten less than full marks. How dare he imply otherwise!

"For your information, Malfoy, none of my homework has ever gotten less than full marks! And as to why I'm crying, it's none of your bloody business. So why don't you just run off home to Daddy and gloat over how you're such wonderful purebloods and how all muggleborns like myself are scum of the Earth and deserve to be crying at your feet!" she shot at him, turning away to face the window again.

She heard him growl behind her, and waited for his scathing reply. She knew that he could never leave anything at that.

"For your information, Granger, my father is still in Azkaban, and as my mother is currently blaming me for the whole situation, it would be inadvisable for me to go home for the next two weeks. And why are you here? Surely your filthy muggle parents would have wanted their precious little know it all home for the holidays, so you could all pretend you're better than real wizards for the next two weeks? Or have your parents finally realised what a pain in the arse you are, and gotten rid of you?"

At the insult to her parents, Hermione spun around again, and got angrily to her feet. How **DARE** he!

"For your information, Ferret, my parents are fucking well dead! Happy now? They were murdered last summer by your father's best little Death Eater friends! So I don't _have_ a home to go to!" she screamed, as she advanced on him.

_This is me forever_

_One without a name_

_

* * *

_

Seeing her advance towards him, Draco expected her to at least slap him for taunting her about her parents. Instead, she shouldered past him and ran out of the library, the tears once again streaming down her face.

Folding himself into the seat she'd vacated, he pondered what had just happened. Being a Death Eater himself, he had of course known about the death of Hermione's parents. It had not been a direct order from Voldemort, but when the Dark Lord had found out about the murder of the Grangers, to say he was pleased was an understatement. None of the Death Eaters had owned up to the task, for fear should the Dark Lord's pleasure turn to wrath, but he had still allowed himself to smile at the blow he knew it would inflict on Hermione and the rest of the Golden Trio.

However, after having seen her today, he didn't feel quite as pleased, for some unknown reason. The imagery and the reality of seeing her cry were two entirely different things. Merlin, even when her heart was breaking she was defiant. And yet all he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and to hold her until she stopped crying. The thought alarmed him greatly.

Pulled from his thoughts by a tapping at the window, he saw his eagle owl, Vires, holding what appeared to be a letter. Opening the window, he allowed the bird to enter, and untied the letter from it's leg. He saw by the seal that it was from him mother.

Cracking open the seal, he began to read the letter. As the letter slipped from his fingers, his vision blurred. As he bent down to pick up the letter, he knew he had to get out of the castle. He ran towards the entrance, and as he stepped out into the rain, he did something he hadn't done in over 10 years.

He began to cry.

_This is me forever_

_One without a name_


	3. Soothing Rain

Arriving back in her dormitory, Hermione realised that she'd left her favourite muggle book, 'A Walk to Remember', in the library. It was one that her Mum had read to her when she was little. She had always imagined herself as Jamie, and being found by someone amazing, who did not appear to be good at first glance, but underneath had a heart of gold. Not wanting to lose the book, she hurried back towards the library. As she neared the entrance to library, she saw a figure rush out, in the direction of the entrance to the school grounds. As she made her way through the library, she found her thoughts continuing to drift to Malfoy.

Retrieving her book, she contemplated the fact that he had seemed to be upset. Not embarrassed, as he had been when Crouch had turned him into a ferret, or furious as he had been in third year when she slapped him across the face, but actually… sad. When she had seen him rushing past her, she had caught a glimpse of something in his eyes… something that reflected her own pain.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Hermione headed in the direction in which she had seen Draco running off in. Reaching the entrance to the Hogwarts grounds, she saw him standing about fifty metres away, being completely soaked by the pouring rain. In his hand, he held a water-streaker letter, of which the ink was beginning to drip slowly off of the page, landing on the muddy grass at his feet.

Contemplating him for several seconds, she thought that even with the expression of agony on his face, that damned ferret still looked bloody hot when he was dripping wet. Quickly catching that thought, she wondered what the hell was going through her mind. Shaking her head, she started towards him.

"Malfoy!"

He turned to her, and a scowl came over his features.

"Sod off Granger. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Like I care what you're in the mood for Malfoy. But you're getting absolutely soaked out here, and if you're not careful you're going to get sick. Considering that I'm assisting Madam Pomfrey at the moment, I don't particularly fancy looking after you for the remaining two weeks of the holidays. Get your arse inside."

Watching as Draco deepened his scowl, the one that intimidated many of the younger students, both in Slytherin and the other three houses, Hermione braced her hands on her hips, fiddling with the ring in her pocket out of nervousness.

"I don't want to. I'm staying out here, and there's not a god-damned thing you can do about it!"

"Fine, stay out here!" retorted Hermione as she pulled out her wand, muttering _"Impervius"._ under her breath, pointing her wand first at him, and then at herself. "But you're at least bloody well going to stay dry! And now you're going to tell me what the hell is going on." she continued, marching towards him.

Draco was looking at her closely, almost as closely as she was observing him. As she looked into his eyes, she could see the pain reflected in them, and thought to herself that it was almost identical to that which shone out of her eyes when she looked into the mirror.

Looking down at his hand instinctively, she could faintly make out the words "death, father, Azkaban, suicide, mother", and looked back up at him, with something akin to pity and understanding in her eyes. So that bastard had a heart after all.

Without even thinking about who it was actually in front of her, Hermione reached out and enveloped Draco in her arms.

_Oh how I wish_

_For soothing rain_

_All I wish is to dream again_

_

* * *

_

Feeling her arms wrap around him, Draco broke out of his miserable reverie. He looked down at her, not returning the embrace, puzzled. Why was she hugging him? What did she have to gain from it? What in Merlin's name was going on with this dumb witch?

Looking past her to the letter in his hand, he saw the same words on the page as she had, and finally understood. She knew. She knew that Lucius had been found dead in his cell two days ago, by his mother when she went to visit him. The Ministry had ruled his death a suicide, as he had been found with his wrists slit. His mother did not believe that Luicius' death was a suicide, but she would not explain why to him in this letter. She had said that she would tell him when he came home for the summer holidays, and that they would deal with it then.

Looking back at Hermione, he saw she was looking up at him, and puzzled and slightly mortified look in her eyes, and realised that she had finally figured out what she was doing. However, for some reason that he could not explain, he found her embrace comforting. And when did he start thinking of her as Hermione? Pushing the thought from his mind, he pulled her closer to him, her head resting against his shoulder.

Continuing to look her over, he finally arrived at her eyes. In them he saw the same pain he knew must be shining out of his, and something else... something that looked suspiciously like pity. Pity? How dare she even think to pity him! He was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake, and received pity from no one, least of all a bushy-haired, know-it-all Gryffindor like her. Pulling out of her arms angrily, he took a step back and glared at her furiously.

"What the hell are you doing!" he screamed at her.

She looked back at him, and he could see confusion and hurt fluttering across her face, followed rapidly by embarassement and anger.

"I was hugging you, you stupid git! What did you think I was doing, playing Quidditch?" she retorted.

"I do **not** need pity from the likes of you, Granger! And I don't need you to treat me like I'm Potty or Weasel, just after I've lost a Quidditch game or something!"

"I don't pity you Malfoy! _Ever_! What I feel for you is sorrow and understanding. Sorrow, because no-one deserves to lose a parent, especially to suicide or murder, and understanding because I am possibly the only damned person in this school who actually does understand what the hell you're going through at the moment. In case you'd forgotten, Malfoy, you aren't the only person in this conversation who has lost a parent this year. Be fucking thankful you only lost one! I lost both of mine, to one of your BASTARD father's friends, so I will never feel sorry for the fact that he is dead. What I am sorry about is that you have to go through this same fucking, Merlin damned pain that I've been going through every day for the past six months. _No-one_ should have to go through that, you stupid moron!"

Draco stared, shocked, as Hermione burst into tears, her emotions causing the _Impervius_ charm on the both of them to evaporate. She looked so sad, standing there with rain dripping down her skin, her hair straightening out under the weight of the water. He couldn't believe that she, the perfect Gryffindor princess, had actually sworn at him. Or that he had managed to forget, in the space of 10 minutes, that she too had lost her family. She was right. No-one should have to go through the pain he was going through now. He must be the coldest bastard on the history of the world.

Stepping towards her, he stopped merely 10 centimetres in front of her, and reached out to tilt her head up so that he could see her face.

"Hermione, please stop crying. I'm sorry. I was just shocked..."

Hermione looked up at him, clearly startled. She started to reply, but Draco moved his fingers from her chin to her lips, and gave in to the temptation he'd been fighting ever since he'd seen her crying in the library earlier in the day.

In the pouring rain, Draco Malfoy slowly lent in, and kissed Hermione Granger.

_Oh how I wish_

_For soothing rain_

_All I wish is to dream again_


	4. Without an Honest Heart

She was standing in the pouring rain, crying, when he lent in and kissed her. Hermione felt shocked, and completely thrown by his actions. But beyond that, she felt… Merlin help her, she felt like this was where she belonged. Standing in the pouring rain, with Draco's hands holding her close to him, sharing something that no-one else at Hogwarts could possibly understand.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Hermione pulled him down closer, feeling his teeth nibbling against her upper lip. Moaning against him, she felt him deepen the kiss, taking complete possession of her until she was almost incapable of any form of thought whatsoever. All that existed at this moment was her, Draco, and the best kiss she had ever had in her entire life.

Feeling the need for air, she pushed him away gently, looking up as she did so. Finding his grey eyes staring down at her, Hermione was filled with sudden shock and remorse at what she had done. Oh my God, she thought, I've just kissed Draco Malfoy. What the hell? How… why…. Oh Merlin I can't do this. I just… Oh Merlin.

Taking a step back from him, she held out her hand in order to put some space between them.

"Draco… About what just happened, I'm so sor-"

"Save it, Hermione," he interrupted. "I know that most people would think that what just happened between us is wrong, and I know that no-one would understand. But you feel something for me, don't you? I can see it in your eyes, and I could feel it in your kiss."

She hesitated, not knowing what to say to him. Up until this afternoon, he had been one of the people that she hated most in the world. Yes, she found him physically attractive, what kind of straight witch wouldn't, but beneath that she had believed him to be rotten to the core. But now… He had shown her a side of himself that she doubted many had ever seen. He had shown her his heart. But still… things were complicated.

Hermione looked up at him, still conflicted by the many emotions that were swirling within her. Deciding on a form of action, she spoke to him in a soft voice that was as calm as she could make it under the circumstances.

"I think that we both need some time to think about what's going on, Draco. Right now, I'm feeling more than a little bit confused, and I just need to process all of this. If you think that maybe we could be something more than what we are, or even if you're just not sure, meet me in the library tomorrow, okay?"

Not giving him time to answer, Hermione spun on her heel and ran inside and upstairs to her dormitory. Once there, she collapsed against her dressing table, suddenly unable to breathe. What in Merlin's name had she gotten herself into? This was _Malfoy_, of all people. The one person that she should never be able to love, and the one person she would never be allowed to love. Her heart, the one area of herself that she could not control with logic, was the area that was beginning to betray her, and everything that she stood for.

The guilt consuming her, Hermione rested her head against her knees, and began to cry.

_This is me for forever_

_The one without a name_

_Without an honest heart as compass_

Watching Hermione run off back into the castle, Draco thought about what had just happened. He wondered what the hell had come over him. He had just kissed _Hermione Granger. _The brains of the Golden Trio, Gryffindor princess, and the apparent champion of all that was good and innocent in the world. On top of all of that, she was also a Mudblood. Everything that Draco had been taught his entire life was screaming at him, screaming that what he had done was wrong.

Hermione Granger was the one person at Hogwarts that Draco knew he should not become even remotely involved with.

And yet here he was. Standing in the rain, watching her walk back into the castle, and already wondering what he was going to say to her the next day in the library. Looking down at he page in his hand, Draco felt a sickening guilt clench him in the stomach. His father had died the previous day, and all he was thinking about was a girl whom his father would have killed him for even touching, let alone kissing.

Draco began to make his way back into the castle, his mind trying to grasp all of the thoughts that were being thrown in his direction. Despite what everyone had thought, he had loved his father, more than anyone else in the entire wizarding world. Losing him was a terrible blow, first with Azkaban, and now with his apparent suicide. And the one person in the whole damned castle who could understand what he was feeling was Hermione bloody Granger. And somehow, he could understand what she was feeling too.

It was the most disturbing thing he had ever experienced.

Being able to understand her, he thought, meant that he could no longer hate her. Instead of just seeing a bushy-haired, know-it-all Gryffindor Mudblood, he now saw her for what she truly was. Intelligent. Courageous. Loyal. Passionate. All of the things he himself wanted to be, and prized in others.

If he could love her, though, how could he be loyal? In loving her, he betrayed his entire existence. He betrayed his family.

Reaching his dormitory, Draco flopped down onto his bed, thoughts going through his head like a Firebolt during the Quidditch World Cup. He was torn completely, between new found realisation, and those whom he had loved and respected his entire life.

And underneath all of that, was an uneasy sense of guilt. How could she ever love him, after what he had done to her?

_This is me for forever_

_The one without a name_

_Without an honest heart as compass_


	5. Gone With My Sins

**A/N: I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. Don't worry though, I haven't given up on you guys! I moved to France 2 months ago, and it's just been so hectic... I only managed to get back online a week ago. But I'm back in business, and aside from this chapter I've written 2 other stories which I will upload soon. **

**Also, just a warning that this chapter contains a couple of massive cliffhangers - you're going to hate me.**

**Enjoy the story though :o)**

**x Mikhaila**

* * *

Three days later, Hermione made her way down to the library. She had religiously avoided Malfoy since they had… Merlin, she didn't even want to think about it. Since they had done what they had done. And she thought that she had done quite well. Not even a sight of him. She had gone down to meals when she knew he would have gone, and other than that had mostly kept to her room, aside from the times when she was helping Madame Pomfrey.

She didn't want to admit to herself that this upset her, just a little bit.

She was going to the library today, because the thought of spending another day in her room, alone, was driving her insane. Although the alone part didn't overly bother, it was actually what she needed at the moment, she felt the need to sit somewhere that she felt safe. Somewhere that she could just empty her mind and deal with everything that had happened over the past week. The library was the perfect place for her to go.

Settling into her usual corner, she pulled her knees up to her chest and looked out over the snow-covered Hogwarts grounds. She'd taken her father's knife with her - not for security or anything, as a witch she was more than able to take care of herself. But… there was just something comforting about it. It was had been given to her father by his father - it was a family heirloom, handed down through generations. With the death of her father, the knife was now passed along to her. It was her most prized possession now, all that she truly had left of her father, besides her memories. That knife meant a lot to her.

Resting her head against the glass, she drifted off into a haze, finally able to let her mind wander, finally able to find some peace. She had been right to come to the library. Surrounded by so many books, by the dark, musty scent, she felt her body relax to the point where she felt that she might fall asleep. Resting her eyes briefly, she was surprised when she felt someone shaking her. Grey eyes stared deeply into her own, and she could see the emotion dwelling deep with in them. Jerking away from him from an innate desire to separate herself, she looked up at him.

"Draco. What are you doing here"  
"Looking for you. Have you been avoiding me?"

Lowering her eyes to stare at the knife in her hand, Hermione debated what to say next. She didn't know whether to tell him the truth or not. Yes, she _had_ been avoiding him, but she was still so confused that she didn't know what to say to him. Did she apologise for her momentary insanity and beg him not to tell her friends? Or start hexing him for taking advantage of her when she was feeling emotionally vulnerable?

Or should she just snog him senseless and forget all reality?

Looking back up into his silver eyes, her mind seemed to shut down completely, leaving only instinct. She gave in completely, and stood up to face him.

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself wrapped around Draco once more, devouring his mouth with her own. All thought stopped, all time, and all her surroundings disappeared. At this moment, there was just the two of them. Her and Draco, and nothing else in the world mattered.

She could feel him lowering her back down onto the seat from which she had risen. However, her mind was only slightly aware of this fact. For the most part, all she could think about was the fact that once again, Draco Malfoy was wrapped in her arms, kissing her, and Merlin take her magic if it wasn't the best damn kiss she'd ever had. This was nothing like the few innocent, chaste kisses that she had shared with Viktor. Every single part of her body felt as if she were on fire. It seemed as if heat were radiating from his lips and from his hands, which he had currently threaded through her hair. She could feel her heart racing and blood rising towards what must be a danger zone. Gone was the sweet innocence of the last kiss that they'd shared. All that remained now was a smouldering passion, one that she just wanted to give in to until in consumed her whole. She felt like she was drowning, drowning in Draco and all she wanted to do was continue sinking until she lost all thought, all reason, and all pain.

She felt him move his hands from her hair down her body, and she whimpered as he stopped kissing her. Her whimper quickly turned into a moan as he started attacking her neck. Her temperature continued to rise until she thought she would explode, and she knew that she had to get rid of her clothes. And his. She knew that it was sudden and impulsive; they'd really only stopped hating each other less than a week ago. He was a Death Eater, the whole school knew that.

Her logical mind seized that fact, and she started to panic. What was she _doing_ here with Draco fricking Malfoy of all people? She started to pull away, but he chose that exact second to slip his hands under her sweater, and all further thought left her mind, and all she could concentrate on was the feel of those hands.

Her feelings escalated, and she knew that he was heading in the same direction. Time ceased to have any meaning. All the existed in this moment of time was the two of them. Hot, sweaty. And naked.

Hang on… naked? What the hell had happened to her clothes? She remembered hearing him muttering something, earlier when he was struggling with her bra, but… clothes?

She felt him kissing her again, and responded immediately. She knew what was about to happen, and knew in that instant that it was what she wanted. She tried to process everything, but in that moment he pushed into her, and everything went dark.

_My flower withered between _

_The pages two and three _

_The once and forever bloom _

_Gone with my sins_

* * *

Draco rested his forehead against Hermione's, panting after the completion of what had happened between them. He couldn't believe what had just happened, that he had just… that he had just… had _sex_ with the Gryffindor Princess. He had betrayed countless generations of Malfoy's, including his father, his mother… he had betrayed everything that he had ever believed in.

And for once in his life, he didn't give a damn. It didn't matter. All that mattered was Hermione, and the fact that he knew that he was increasingly falling for her, and falling hard.

She was panting beneath him now, exhausted after the climax he had given her. She'd actually passed out for a couple of minutes, and he felt a smug sense of pride that he had been able to do that to her. Who ever knew that Miss Prim-and-Proper could be so passionate, could have so much fire? He had a feeling that only he could bring this out in her, remembering their past fights, and the one other time he had made her lose control - when he had slapped her in their third year.

Feeling quite tired, he collapsed on the seat next to her, realising that they'd actually just had sex in the library. How fitting, he thought momentarily, before his thoughts were interrupted by the delectable witch lying next to him.

"Um, Draco?"

He looked down into her adorable brown eyes as she said this, and seeing a look of confusion in them, he knew that she was about to condemn him for what had just happened, that she was about to take away the best thing that had happened to him this entire year. However, the next words that fell from her lips made him practically fall off the bench in laughter.

"What happened to my clothes?"

He let his laughter out, and she looked hurt and slightly angry. Pulling her to his side, he informed her of what had happened.

"Well, you see Hermione, I've never had much patience with female undergarments. I find a quick Evanesco will usually take care of things like that, which meant that I could concentrate more on you."

She smiled up at him as he said this, and he commenced to run his fingers through her hair.

"Oh, okay then. Do you think that you could get them back for me now though? I don't particularly fancy running up to my dormitory naked."

He smiled at her and retrieved his wand from where it was lying, next to her father's knife. He picked up both, examining the knife with an expert's eye. It was old, and although not a magical object, still held a lot of power within its depths. Magical or not, when a knife killed a person, it absorbed their energy. This knife must have killed a lot of people to hold this much power… or a witch or wizard. But that was highly unlikely - Hermione came from a long line of Muggles, there was no way that any of them would have been allowed within striking distance of someone with magic. He could see a faint line of blood around the edge - it was probably used as a hunting knife now, the last person to use it must not have cleaned it properly. Muggles, he thought, feeling slightly exasperated that they wouldn't know how to take care of such an object as this.

Restoring her clothes, as well as his own, he also handed her the knife, before threading his fingers through hers in a romantic gesture that made him cringe at how corny it must look. She didn't pull away though, so he resolved to ask her about the knife - she obviously treasured it.

"Where'd you get the knife, Hermione? It's enchanting, the workmanship is astounding."

She turned to face him and smiled. He noticed that she couldn't keep from smiling at him - maybe she was feeling the same depth of emotion that he was. The thought both elated him and frightened him at the same time. Before he had time to think that train of thought through, she spoke again.

"It was my fathers. It's a family heirloom. It's been handed down to the oldest child in the family for generations. With the…" her voice faltered for a few seconds before she was able to carry on, "With the death of my father during the summer holidays, it was passed to me. He used to love this knife, telling me stories about it when I was a little girl. It means a lot to me."

He smirked at her. Trust her to turn some immensely powerful object into a memory of her childhood. He could feel her playing with his palm, when suddenly she stopped when she reached the ring on his middle finger. Her felt her turn his hand over, and watched as she examined the ring. He could understand why she would be fascinated with it - it was a truly beautiful piece of goblin-worked sterling silver. It had two serpents intertwining around the edge of a circle of emeralds, and in the centre the Malfoy family crest. All male members of the Malfoy family had them.

"That's a beautiful ring, Draco. Where did you get it?" He could tell that she was only asking this because he had asked about her knife. Trust a bloody Gryffindor to try to be fair.

"It was my father's. All male members of the Malfoy family are given them when they turn 16. However, I lost mine during the summer holidays. I've searched the Manor high and low, I can't seem to find it anywhere. My father was never aware of that fact, had he not been in Azkaban, he would have killed me. With the death of Lucius last week though, my Mother had the ring sent to me. So I suppose that in a way, it means the same to me as your knife does to you. It's a reminder of my family."

Hermione looked pale at this news, and he supposed that it was the mention of Lucius that had done this, after all he had put her through before being incarcerated. He could understand the emotion. However, she also started to pull away from him, moving rapidly towards the entrance to the library. She turned and faced him, and she was fidgeting with the hem of her jumper.

"I'm sorry Draco, I just remember that I promised to help Madam Pomfrey with something, and I'm running late. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

With that, she turned and ran out the door.

Draco looked after her, confused. The whole interaction had taken maybe 20 seconds. One minute she was all cuddly, and the next minute she couldn't wait to get out of there. Oh well, she had always placed her academic obligations above all else, he thought, as he leant against the window and smelt her remaining vestiges of her perfume. Drifting off into a haze of memories of what had just happened, he didn't see Pansy emerge from behind the stacks, a look of shock and malevolence on her face as she headed out of the library and towards the Owlery.

_My flower withered between _

_The pages two and three _

_The once and forever bloom _

_Gone with my sins_


End file.
